Pain
by jphuzzah
Summary: One night ends up changing everyone. Nothing seems to be going right for Naruto and it only seems to be getting worse as things continue. Naruto and Sakura fic.
1. Chapter 1

This is my first story so you need to be nice. Always wanted to write a fanfic but to be honest I'm not sure on a lot of the spelling of certain things in Naruto. Please review and share your thoughts.

Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto

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Sakura was patiently waiting in tsundae's office for her to finish her morning paperwork so they could finally begin their morning training routine at the Konoha medical hospital. She had just begun to learn the more advanced techniques in the hokage's endless repertoire of medical jutsu like repairing the complex nerve systems of the spinal chord and was suppose to start on the brain stem, she was anxious to say the least and the paperwork seemed to be going slower than usual.

Sakura was browsing Tsundae's library for the 50th time trying to find something to pass the time when the double doors to the hokage office slammed open. Ibiki was wearing his bandana and his leather trench coat as usual and his boots made a hefty clunking sound as they made their way to the chair in front of Tsunade's desk. He sat down with a simple nod to the hokage and didn't wait for a question as to why he was there before he began speaking. "I need permission to send several scouting parties out in search of an ANBU as soon as possible; we haven't had any contact with him for 2 weeks."

With gaining interest Tsunade asked, "What was the mission regarding?"

"Hunt and kill of an S-class missing nin in foreign territory."

"Doesn't sound like anything we could justify sending scouting parties outside our boundaries to find your missing ANBU now does it? You suicidal ANBU hunters know the high risk involved. Especially with s-class missions. There is no way I can do what you're asking of me without weakening our treaties with our trigger happy neighbors"

"I know, but its Naruto…" The room fell deathly silent as Sakura dropped the book she was pretending to busy herself with to stay out of the conversation. Tsunade looked to her student and then back to Ibiki with fury overflowing from her eyes.

"How the hell do you even think that sending him, off all people, on S-class missions is a smart decision?!"

"I didn't" he replied keeping his stern face. "I assigned him others but he wouldn't take them, he threatened to go a-wall and do it on his own if I didn't comply. Apparently he has a very big grudge to settle with Akatsuki."

"AKATSUKI?! You let him go after Akatsuki? You do know they're after his life and the kyuubi don't you?"

"Of course I do, the baka is too stubborn for his own good. He's been going through their ranks killing them off one by one for the last 3 months. At least i've been keeping tabs on him making him report back. Now he's a week overdue on his update and I need confirmation on his death."

Sakura's eyes began to turn red and water as the news was so casually thrown around her about the closest friend she'd ever had. Her lips parted to object verbally of his possible death but nothing came out but a whimper. Naruto wouldn't end like this, he wouldn't let himself. His dreams would not go unfulfilled.

It was then two ANBU came through the wide doors and stood to the side of Ibiki. "Sir, you told us to contact you if he returned to the village... He just walked through the gate. He looks like he's in bad shape."

Ibiki simply nodded to the two, excusing them from the office. "Well it looks like I got you all upset for nothing, send your student over to give him a once over and make sure he's not too bad. This was his fifth kill though; he's going to need a psyche evaluation. Send that blonde mind walker over while your at it, kid could stand to let some things off of his chest." He waited for Tsunade to acknowledge his requests with a nod and simply walked out of the office as calm as he came in.

Sakura hadn't realized she was holding her breath since the moment the two ANBU showed up and she sighed deeply as her back sank into the bookshelf behind her for support. Relief washed over her as she felt that she had almost lost him.  
It all made sense now, ever since that night he wasn't the same person. To be honest she had no idea what he had been doing for the last 3 months since he joined ANBU. She figured he was doing something important but not hunting akatsuki. Since he joined he had stopped showing up at the hospital, stopped walking her home, stopped begging her to go with him for ramen, and simply stopped wearing that foxy grin on his face. Though the last part was probably because of that night when they went to the bar…

FLASHBACKFLASHBACKFLASHBACK

The night was all about him, Naruto had finally made ANBU black ops, his dreams were falling into place and he was proud. "Next stop is hokage!" He yelled all through out the night to the semi crowded bar after every drink. There were only two besides Sakura at the bar celebrating with him. Everyone else seemed to be on missions at the moment. Ino was there and got excessively more flirty with him the more she drank, he was to naïve to realize it though. It wasn't a big secret she had started to develop a thing for him (much to the dismay of sakura) ever since he had gotten back from his training trip. The other person was Hinata. Who wasn't doing much of anything besides blushing every two seconds when would smile at her.

It was a mystery how he had ended up with the hottest women of the town that night but he wasn't going to concern himself with it. He was here to celebrate with some of his closest friends on his success. It was getting late and sakura and naruto were really the only ones not hammered at that point. Ino and hinata decided it was time to stumble home and gave him a kiss on the cheek and final drunken congrats before they both turned and left, leaving sakura with him alone.

"Hey sakura…"

"Yeah Naruto?"

"I just wanted to thank you for being there for me; you were always there by my side to keep pushing me. You have no idea how much I appreciate your _TOUGH_ love." Emphasizing the word tough a little to much

She laughed "I don't think it was me as much as your stubborn self that got you this far."

The night drudged on and the sake glasses began to pile in front of them fairly high. Sakura, not having naruto's quickened healing abilities, was taking the alcohol full front and Naruto had finally finished his last bottle as they left the bar with her on his shoulder for support.

"You know naruto, I never told you but ever since you came back from that training trip you've had half the women of konoha talking about you."

"Ok, now I know your drunk, you're giving me compliments." He laughed

"I'm serious; it's making me damn jealous. You know I don't like to be second in anything, especially when it comes to men."

"Sakura?..."

"I'm just going to say it. You are a stud, I mean just look at your body now. You're a hot piece of ass and I can't say that I haven't appreciated the fact that I can catch you in a towel every now and then when I stop by your shitty apartment."

"You are not gona remember saying any of this in the morning you know that?"

"Oh come on, stop denying it. And don't say you haven't thought the same about me. I've matured pretty well if I do say so myself. I've seen the way you look at me, my eyes are not, and never will be at my chest Naruto-_kun…"_

"Ok, ok ok… were almost to your apartment. You need to lie down."

As they reached the door Naruto had to carry her bridal style to her up the stairs to her bed. She wasn't making it any easier on resisting the obvious temptation in front of him when she began to nuzzle her face into the nape of his neck. Letting her lips brush against him. He sighed in angst as she began planting soft kisses leading up to his jaw.

Years of desire for her came crashing down on his shoulders as her hands reached up to his face to turn it to meet hers. "Naruto, I know you want to… so kiss me" His cheeks flushed red and he scrambled for an answer trying to keep his mouth busy from meeting her soft lips.

"As much as I do want it, you're drunk right now and are going to regret this in the morning. I've pictured this a thousand times and each time its left my happy but I don't want it to be me taking advantage of you." He pleaded. His mind was beginning to weaken as he let her feet drop to the floor. She turned quickly so that her perfect chest was pressing against his and his gaze met hers.

"Naruto you still don't get it. This is what I want." And with that she pulled him into her, letting her lips crash against his causing the sexual tension to peak. She let out a moan sucking his bottom lip and letting it go, massaging it with her tongue. He seemed lost as her tongue entered his mouth and began dancing with his.

Finally pulling away he put up one more futile plea for this night to end with just that. "Sakura, I don't want you to regret this, it'll kill me knowing you would."

"Damnit naruto you baka, I need you." As soon as the words left her mouth hands snaked under his shirt pulling it over his head. She quickly grabbed his waist and pulled him on to the bed over her.

Morning came too early as the sun shined through her window onto her now very broken alarm clock. Her head was two sizes to small and she struggled rationalizing that meeting up with her sensei was a must. Naruto lay in bed next to her sound asleep, jaraiya had a habit of waiting till the afternoon to begin and she was thankful of his laziness for once. A tinge of regret echoed through her head along with the memories of last night as she slowly slid out of bed quietly trying to avoid the inevitable conversation by not waking him.

She had on her training uniform when he stirred. His eyes opened to reveal his ice blue pupils that seemed to smile gently at her. "Come back to bed." He pleaded.

"Naruto…" her heart began to split. "About last night… W-we were both drunk, and … I think it would b-be for the best if… well, we pretended like it never happened." Her words seemed to die off as his facial expression changed to show he had captured the meaning of her statement before it fully left her lips. "I-I'm so sorry naruto" She turned to walk out of her apartment leaving him on the bed, hoping he would be gone before she got back. All she heard as she closed the door was a silence that filled her soul.

END FLASHBACK

Tsunade didn't wait long before excusing her from the daily routine to get fetch ino and check out naruto. Since Ino's house was on the way over it wasn't long until they were both on his doorstep. Sakura was reluctant to knock at first and slightly relieved it wasn't answered. Ino simply shrugged at her and said "Knock again, maybe he's asleep." Once again she reached up and knocked, this time a little louder. Still no answer from him.

Ino seemed to be fed up with waiting and let out a loud huff as she pushed past sakura and walked in without waiting for him to answer. Sakura followed slowly trying to ease her way into his apartment like it was going to make seeing him less painful. Once inside she heard the shower running and figured that's why he couldn't answer. They each took a seat around his table in comfortable silence, although sakura seemed a little edgy.

Soon enough the shower water turned off and naruto could be heard shuffling around in the bathroom. He appeared a short time later in the hallway walking up to them in nothing but a towel, hair still dripping wet. Ino's eyes seemed to widen and her stare became fixed onto his well toned body. Sakura looked him in the eyes to by met with a cold stoic stare.

"What brings you two here?"

"Sakura needs to give you the once over and I need to do a psyche evaluation before you can do another mission. Ibiki's orders"

"hnn… I'm not hurt anymore." He said over his shoulder as he turned to boil some water, probably for ramen.

As he turned his back on them they each took on a shocked expression as the kanji symbol for 'Pain' seemed to be carved into the center of his back just between the shoulders.

"Naruto… when did you do that?" sakura seemed to just barley squeeze out the sentence before tears welled up in her eyes dreading the answer.

He stopped what he was doing and simply just stared down into the bubbling water, already knowing exactly what sakura was talking about. "3 months ago."


	2. Chapter 2

Alright, well heres chapter 2. Didn't expect it to be up this soon. I was gonna wait for a few more reviews to see if you guys liked the start enough for me to continue, but all the reviews were pretty positive (THANKS!!!) so I shall press on. As always feel free review and voice your opinion. Im writing this for myself but im sharing it for you!

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Sakura didn't know what to say, she was falling apart ever since he told her. She knew the kanji on his back was from her, the time period had confirmed it. What was weird was it was the only scar he had. His skin seemed to be flawless and healthy save for the numerous bruises he probably acquired during his last fight. Every nin she ever examined had scars covering a good part of their body, especially the arms. Naruto just had the one; she guessed the kyuubi had something to do with that.

She was waiting patiently across from Ino for Naruto to finish his meal before she was going to try to examine him. Ino however, didn't waste any time to probe him with so many questions. It wouldn't have bothered Sakura so much if Ino didn't come off as such a fan girl with them all.

"Did you really kill another Akatsuki?"

"Yeah"

"Which one?"

Naruto seemed irratated as he pulled off a ring from his finger and tossed it across the table to Ino. She looked at it closely and scrunched her face as she thought out loud "What's this?"

"It's a ring, they all wear one. That one was Kisame's"

Even Sakura gasped as she finally recognized the rings on his hands as Akatsuki's. He had 4 of them on, including the one he tossed to Ino. He really was taking them down. They had hunted him for years and he was finally hunting them back, on his own terms. Admiration began to swell up in her as she looked at him. He had become so strong, so determined, so…. suicidal. It wasn't like he was taking on some everyday nin, these people were the pride of their villages, the strongest of their kind before they defected for more power.

She wasn't the one who made him join ANBU but she couldn't help but feel like she was somewhat responsible for the sudden change in character. She needed to make her peace. "Ino, give Naruto and I a minute so I can give him a proper check up." Naruto for the first time since they walked into his apartment looked Sakura in the eye.

"Maybe I can help." She said with a smirk

"Now."

Ino sighed as she got up from the table and walked to the living room to sit on his heavily worn out couch. Sakura stood and grabbed Naruto by the wrist as she led him down the hallway to his room. Once they were both inside she closed the door and told him to lie on the bed. "Sorry, not in the mood." Naruto responded coldly.

Taken back by the attitude and the rudeness of his remark she reached back and smacked him across the face before she knew what she was doing. He didn't budge as her hand came across his cheek. She gathered chakra in her hands and pushed him back so he sat down on the bed. He took on a pissed off face as he laid back and stared at the ceiling. She walked up to his side and let her hands hover above his stomach as a green glow started emitting out of her palms. Searching through muscle fibers and tissues for internal injuries she let her hands wander his body. She shook thoughts from her head as she traced some of his well toned muscles in his chest and arms; this wasn't a good time for those. Repairing some small rips in his tendons that were probably causing him a great deal of pain, even though he didn't show it, she finally stopped.

Feeling she was done he sat up and swung his legs to the side of his bed only to be met face to face with Sakura. She didn't move as he looked up at her. Not sure of how he was going to react she slowly raised one hand and let her finger trace his jaw line, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He closed his eyes for a moment and evidence of a smile came to his lips before his right hand grabbed hers and pulled it away. "Don't… I can't do this again." Was all he said before his shoulder bumped hers on his way to the door.

"Naruto wait, I need to explain. I… I just wasn't ready that night and…" before she could finish he broke in.

"Sakura you don't need to explain. I know your heart belongs to Sasuke. I wasn't ready to admit it yet, but after that night I was forced to face reality. I don't blame you; I was the one who screwed up that night." He didn't give her a chance to respond as he opened the door and walked down the hall with his head down.

"Naruto…"

She didn't walk out of his room right away. It took until she heard Ino's voice in the living room asking him how it went for her to gather the courage. She was saying something about how they needed to go celebrate his success when Sakura came around the corner. "Alright, well if you two are all done we should get this silly psyche evaluation under way." She sat up and smiled at Sakura as she passed her on her way to his bedroom.

"You're going to do his psyche evaluation in his bed?" Sakura asked with a tinge of annoyance in her voice

"Why not? You did your check up in there."

Sakura fumed as Ino doubled back and grabbed Naruto by his hand. "C'mon Naruto-kun lets get it on." giggling like a school girl at her "clever" sexual innuendo. Naruto kept his stoic face as he was dragged, yet again, into his bedroom.

At the sound of the door closing Sakura thought she was going to lose her mind. There was no way she was jealous of Ino's feeble attempts of flirting with Naruto. I mean he wasn't hers per say but she had deep seeded feeling for him that ran under Ino's shallow perverted ones. Surely he wouldn't do anything with that blonde bimbo, would he?

"So Naruto, I usually don't do these things with the other person in nothing but a towel but ill gladly make an exception." She said with a smirk. "Just tell me what's on your mind?" as she spoke she leaned closer to him, giving a clear view down her tight fitting purple dress at her rather impressive cleavage.

"Nothing, I just want to get back to training." His eyes never left hers, much to her dismay.

"C'mon Naruto. Don't make this hard on me, we go way back. Just open up and tell me how you're feeling about all these high profile s-class mission you're doing."

He didn't say anything for a moment and the tension seemed to get worse before he finally broke the silence. "I need to kill them before they kill me."

"Well there's a start. Are you afraid for your life?"

"No. I don't have anything to lose, they do. They're the ones who need to be afraid."

"You don't have anything to lose? What about all your loved ones?"

"I need to do this for me."

"Seems like you're putting a lot of pressure on yourself. Maybe I can't help you relax." her hand moved to the side of his arm as she traced small circles into him with her finger. She slowly eased into him, pressing her face towards his. She wanted to see how he tasted, just to settle the primal urges she had ever since he came back. At the last moment though he turned his cheek to her, closing his eyes as her pink lips pressed into his cheek bone.

"I can't…"

She drew back and frowned. "Naruto why do you feel the need to carry so many burdens alone? You're acting like some kind of whipping boy. If I didn't know better I'd say you were just hoping that you don't come back from one of your missions." She wondered to herself what he was hiding.

Ino sat upright, now trying to take this more seriously. Naruto was shutting down emotionally. She had seen it in a couple of the high ranked ANBU she evaluated. She could already tell he wasn't going to give her what she needed without drastic measures. "Naruto, right now I have you diagnosed as severely depressed and suicidal as you don't have any real value on your life. I'm going to enter your mind. It's the only way I'm going to clear you for more missions. Are you ok with that?"

"Hnn…" was all he said. Usually the guys put up more of a fight against her probing around in their head. Probably because once inside they were an open book and anything that she wanted to know was hers. People have secrets, everyone has secrets. She just needed to find out which ones changed him so much.


	3. Chapter 3

Well here you go, chapter 3. I hope you all are enjoying reading this as much as I am writing it. I think i may be addicted. Let me know what you think!

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She had been waiting on the couch for what seemed like forever. It didn't take this long to do a psyche evaluation, well unless Ino entered his mind. She wouldn't need to do that though, Naruto was fine. He was just under a lot of stress.

Sakura seemed more worried as she sat up from the couch and paced the floor. Convincing herself he was fine seemed more like a lie the more she tried to think about it. He wasn't alright, there was no way Ino would clear him for ANBU unless he really told her what was going on. The reason why he was so depressed. Sakura wasn't going to get off easy from Ino if she found out what had happened. She collapsed back down on the couch and cursed the heavens as she was finally going to have to face her actions that morning. Ino was going to be pissed…

Ino was already knee deep in Naruto's mind, literally. She started taking in her surroundings and found she was in a sewer like hallway that seemed to go for a while in both directions. Water came up past her ankles. Even though she was alone she spoke her thoughts aloud "Well this is a first." Usually people's minds were a little easier to read, and considerably more hospitable. For the first time she really had no idea where to start. Picking a direction she headed what seemed like north down the corridor.

She had been walking for about 5 minutes when the room opened up, the ceiling doubled in height and the room was considerably wider. It was a dead end though, nothing but a metal gate that went from floor to ceiling. It didn't have a lock, just a slip of paper. As she got closer she could read it. "Seal? What could he possibly have sealed away?" Her answer came too soon. Upon reaching the gate teeth snarled and two red eyes glared daggers into her.

"**What is the meaning of this?"**

"Kami! What are you?!"

"**Mortal if you value your life, leave this place now. I may by sealed inside this boy but you are in my domain."**

Ino was awestruck at the sheer size of the beast; red chakra swarmed around him and lighted the cage that seemed to be his prison. As it did she could see all of him, his nine tails whipped around and beat the walls which shook the room she was in. As it roared its frustrations she slowly backed up and turned to run, only to smash into someone. She fell back into the water and screamed.

"Looks like you went the wrong way."

Calm as day Naruto stood offering her a hand to help her get up. Gladly taking it she followed him out of the room. "Naruto, what is that thing? And why is it sealed inside of you?" He didn't speak. He kept his stoic face as they both walked side by side.

Thoughts were buzzing around her head trying to explain what she had just seen when he finally said something. "What you're looking for is down here, just past those two doors."

Ino hadn't been paying attention as they had come to the other end of the corridor. Two large wooden doors stood on opposite sides of the room. It looked the same as the room before which explained why she was so nervous to open them. The door on the right seemed to be made out of wood. The other door was also made of wood; however this one seemed to be decaying. Just like that of an old tree in the forest, rotted out.

Wondering the meaning of them she turned to Naruto who was now gone. As soon as he left a painful realization washed over her. That was the Nine tails, the fox that attacked Konoha all those years ago. The one the 4th gave up his life to seal inside an infant, the jinchuuriki. It all made sense now. The unknown power that would surface from him during the moments he needed it the most. Sakura had told her about it when they fought Haku and Zabuza, she had seen it at the chunnin exams when he fought Neji.

She snapped out of the trance when she remembered where she was. "Gota hurry this up. Which door first?" She made her choice as she walked over to the door that was a healthy tan color. The door swung open easily and led her into a white room. Once inside she shut the door, instantly memories began playing around her. She was him, she was living his memories. There were huge gaps in time between them though. It skipped around a lot and most of them seemed to be centered on training and the ninja academy. There were quite a few of Jaraiya, Kakashi, and… Sakura.

Every significant memory that had made him happy was in this space. Knowing this was the wrong room for what she needed she backed out, the memories faded and once again the door opened. Back in the hallway she made her way to the decrepit looking door. The handle was cold and rusted to the touch, it refused to turn. This one was kept locked. "You sure what you need is in there?" Naruto asked, once again appearing out of nowhere.

"You know this is what I need, I have to know if you're going to be ok."

"Fine, just don't get lost." And with that the door creaked heavily. Dust and rust crumpled around the frame and it swung open halfway. Not waiting for him to disappear she walked inside. The room was unwelcoming to say the least; the further in it she went the more chills went up her spine. Her skin broke out into goose bumps as the memories played for her. There were so many of them here, it was overwhelming. Tears came to her eyes at images of Naruto being beaten as a child flashed before her. All the memories that scarred him appeared endlessly. Screaming out she jumped forward through them.

What caught her attention was when she saw the one of them celebrating at the bar the day he was accepted into ANBU. Surely this would have been in the other room. Studying it more carefully she let it fully run its course. It wasn't until she saw herself and Hinata leave that she knew she had found the needle in the haystack. Sakura was all over him as he walked her home. The conversation went from bad to worse as he took her to her bed and she seduced him. She had never seen Naruto so happy; he could barely sleep that night. He just lay awake holding her close until his eyes finally shut.

Then it happened, the next morning. She felt the whole room go cold as Sakura dropped a bomb on him. As soon as she closed the door she saw the tears form in his eyes. His heart had just been ripped out; his dreams of being with her were burned alive. He went out of her window quietly and it wasn't until he was at his own apartment did he let it all out. He was in the kitchen, screaming out loud to nothing. His nails became claws and he raked at his own skin while cursing at himself as it healed before his eyes. The same red chakra she had seen earlier in the cage surrounded him. But just as quick as he broke down he fell deathly silent.

He walked calmly to his bathroom and stared at himself in the mirror. He threw his fist against the bottom of it and knocked pieces of it into the sink. Picking up one of the larger pieces he positioned himself so he could see the reflection of his back in the cracked mirror that was now behind him. His clawed hands then traced what was now his kanji between his shoulder blades. Tears fell down his face as he did it over and over again until his body stopped healing it as quickly. As it grew back slowly it became the scar that they saw today.

She backed out of the room crying for him, the door opened and she once again stepped into the murky corridor. Understanding now what he went through and the reason he had shut down emotionally she released her hold on his mind. Back in the room she found she was still crying as he stared back at her from the edge of his bed. Putting his arms around her he pulled her close. "I'm sorry I couldn't have just told you, you didn't deserve to see that."

"Naruto… you didn't deserve that either."

"Just let me go back to ANBU, its how I'm dealing with this right now."

Ino dug her nails into his back as she pulled him closer. "Fine, just promise me you won't do anything stupid."

"I promise. C'mon, Sakura is waiting for us."

He took her by the hand and led her to his bedroom door. He opened it for her and stood there, letting her walk out first. Sakura was pacing the floor when they both walked into his living room. She stopped abruptly when she finally noticed the two of them standing there. Ino was red in the face and on the verge of tears. Naruto just walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table.

Ino walked up to her and grabbed her wrist. "We need to talk, now." She didn't have any time to respond as she was pulled out of Naruto's front door and led to her apartment by a very intimidating Ino. Once Sakura unlocked her door Ino pushed past her and sat down at her table, staring back at her as she took a seat facing hers. Ino didn't wait long until she broke the uncomfortable silence. "So let me tell you a story…"


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry for the late update but I'm not dead. Just had some work and school stuff to deal with that filled up my plate. Should be back to my regular schedule now.

This one was a little hard to write but im pretty happy with the way it turned out. Enjoy.

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Naruto was having a weird day to say the least. Having to face Sakura was one thing, but Ino putting the moves on him and taking a stroll through his head was too much. He knew she would snoop around his head a little but he didn't think that she would meet the Kyuubi. Putting his head back against the chair he stared at the water marks in the ceiling. "I need to blow off some steam in the worst way…"

Just because he was waiting for Ibiki to give him the ok to head back out it didn't mean he was on a vacation. He needed to stay fresh for Akatsuki. Getting soft because of some personal drama was out of the question. Finally getting up from his chair he sighed aloud as he walked down the hallway to his bedroom to get dressed.

It didn't take long to get back into his ANBU gear, he had it all laid out on the bed before his guests showed up. Looking in the still broken mirror of his bathroom he admired the shave marks that had cut clean through his favorite black shirt. "Son of a… The guy had to have a huge sword." Mentally cursing Kisame he opted for a less popular mesh shirt as he left for Team 7's old training grounds. It was really his last sanctuary; it reminded him of a better time in his life. Everything was so simple then.

Sakura was breaking down and Ino didn't seem to care as she recanted every single detail she could recall about the night she witnessed to her friend. Sakura had no clue what she did to him. She had an idea what would happen but she didn't think he would take it out on himself. She wanted him to hate her and yet all he did was blame himself. Like he should have had more willpower that night. She needed to tell him the truth about how she felt. How she was scared of getting to close to someone again.

Sakura was lost in her own thoughts as Ino stormed out of her apartment, nearly throwing the door of its hinges as it slammed shut behind her. She was pretty clear on how she felt. Although her words were kind of strong… and threatening. Sakura didn't deserve him though. She needed to stay clear of him now that he had dealt with his pain. Naruto didn't need any more scars because of some immature pink bitch not being able to cope with how she felt. She needed to find Naruto, but at the moment reporting back to Ibiki had to be on the top of her list. Being on his bad side was hell.

Sakura's tears had dried up as she curled up in her bed trying to sleep. It was just barely getting dark outside but her whole body ached from her hating herself. As she buried her face into her pillow her mind wouldn't slow down. It was going a million thoughts a minute and every fiber of her being wanted sanctuary from the guilt. Ino had left some strong images in her head and they replayed over and over again. The agony he put himself through that morning, because of her. She wished Ino hadn't mentioned the part with the broken glass, it was too much.

Hours passed and she couldn't even shut her eyes. Stress was overflowing from within and she needed to beat on something. Grabbing her forehead protector she headed out into the night. It had been awhile since she had a good training session outside of a hospital and she wanted to work up a sweat. Team 7's training field was her little get away and she needed it now more than ever. It reminded her of a better time in her life.

As she approached the grounds she realized she wasn't alone. Yells and the sound of earth being smashed into could be heard as she got closer. Taking on a slower pace she deviated from the trail and jumped through the trees. Whatever was making all that noise sounded like it shouldn't be snuck up upon. Sitting in one of the larger trees at the edge of the clearing her mouth fell open as she realized her luck, standing there in the dust was Naruto panting heavily.

Every part of him ached and screamed for him to rest but he still had to much pent up frustration to let up. Letting out some red chakra he could feel a wave of energy wash over him as it healed his bruises and gave him a second wind. His stamina had grown so much it was scary to most. Summoning up chakra in his right hand he formed his new resengan. It wasn't like his others; this one was saved for Akatsuki. Unlike the original, this one was crimson red. Using the Kyuubi's chakra he found he could make it far more deadly. It happened as an accident and by sheer desperation in his first battle against the organization.

FLASHBACKFLASHBACKFLASHBACK

Kakuzu had been one of his most annoying opponents to date. Every time he thought he had him the baka got back up, screaming about his futile attempts to kill him. Due to his storage of hearts, Naruto essentially had to kill him 4 times. He was running on his 3rd heart and Naruto's massive stamina had almost diminished.

"You don't get it do you? You don't have the chakra to kill me. All I have to do is just sit back and watch you waste your energy. You're already slowing down and you still got two more to go."

His taunts were wearing Naruto thin. "No! You don't get it. I haven't even warmed up yet!" Summoning some kage bunshin he charged again, Resengan in each hand.

"Ah, the mighty resengan. About time I get to see it."

He charged the Akatsuki member head on, using his kage bunshin to ward of his limbs that came flailing at him. By using thin threads Kakuzu could separate his limbs and whip them around causing close range attacks to be difficult. It wasn't until the last moment where Naruto was inches away from shoving two full powered resengans into his face when Kakuzu blasted him across the field using an attack he had not seen before from one of his extra hearts. Partly laughing and screaming Kakuzu taunted Naruto who was now climbing out of the hole he made with his landing, "Did I forget to mention my hearts have their own little surprises?"

Naruto was panting for breath desperately when he struggled to his feat. "Did I forget to mention that I have my own?" He didn't want to use his furry friend but he was at his limits, his body being completely depleted from the last two resengans and the kage bunshin. Smirking at the puzzled looking Akatsuki he dug deep within and let the Kyuubi chakra surface. His whisker marks deepened to the point of cuts and his eyes became blood red. His fingers turned into claws which matched his growing canines.

"So, the boy becomes the demon. It won't make any difference."

Naruto looked him in the eye and his smirk turned into a look of death, "This is where you die." He stretched his arm out at him so he could see the resengan forming. Summoning the red chakra into it his hand he could feel the power emitting from it. Simply holding it was causing his palm to burn and bleed.

"This again? Itachi was right, you're as stubborn as they come."

Again he charged at him, this time with no kage bunshin. Kakuzu was taken back by his speed; Naruto had already closed the distance between them from where his body was thrown in the blink of an eye. Elongating his arm he whipped it at the red blur coming at him with deathly intent. Just as fast, Naruto disappeared completely, leaving Kakuzu's arm to smash through the ground where he was suppose to be. It wasn't until he felt his back being ripped open by the attack did he know it was over.

END FLASHBACK

This resengan, unlike the others didn't use blunt force. By infusing his tenants chakra he could actually rip through his target causing fatal damage. It was a devastating attack that guaranteed his victory if his opponent was ever unfortunate enough to see it face to face. Being unable to use the chidori, he instead transformed the 4th's technique into something just as deadly. Although Naruto had only used it a couple of times in the past he had already grown to master it.

Sakura was left in awe as she watched him use it on one of his kage bunshin. The clone seemed to be in agony as blood sprayed from its chest until it finally turned into smoke. She had never seen Naruto use any assassination jutsu before, and it was unnerving to say the least. Deciding now wasn't the best time to train she jumped down from the tree limb and turned to walk back to her lonely apartment in the dark.

She had taken two steps when a voice behind her caused her throat to close up. "You know it's not nice to sneak up on people." Sakura gasped for air as she struggled for words. Clutching her heart that was trying to jump out of her chest she finally spoke. "Damnit Naruto. Don't ever do that to me again."

"Sorry Sakura-ku…:" His voice trailed off as he caught himself. It didn't go unnoticed as Sakura started to blush slightly. Turning his face away he asked while looking into the forest. "So what are you doing up so late? Couldn't sleep?"

"Yeah… I was actually coming here to blow off some steam. I can come back later though."

"No, I'd like the company if that's alright with you."

Sakura was taken back by his request and she wasn't able to hold back the smile that spread over her face. "I'll stay."

Ino was in Ibiki's office staring at him from across his desk. The man had an organizational problem and was in bad need of a secretary. The top of his desk was littered with files and folders that seemed to be in no particular order as one overlapped the next. Staring at the black murky liquid he gave her in a not so clean looking coffee mug she thought about her answer.

"Is he able to come back or not? I won't ask you again."

Finally looking him in the eye she spoke, "He's better emotionally at his current state then where he was when he started so I have no reason not to give him my approval, but…"

"But?"

"He's dealing with some personal stuff at the moment and I believe he's taking these missions on the off chance he might not come back from them."

"No one expects to come back after S-class missions. Look, I know he's your friend, but at the rate he's going with these high profile missions he is going to outrank every ANBU I have. I'm going to have to put him on a team soon enough and it wouldn't be right if I didn't make him captain and let him pick his members. So if you're that worried watch over him personally, but as of right now he's the best I got."

"Whoa, I analyze your cold blooded killers. I'm not one of them."

"Is that what you see your friend as? A killer?"

"You're putting words in my mouth. Naruto was fine until Sakura crushed him. Then you started using him for your own little purposes."

"You're giving me too much credit Ino; I'm just keeping tabs on him. He's the one that's assigning himself to all these missions. Although I admit he will be a formidable ANBU captain once he's done with his little crusade but as for now I'm simply supplying the mask."

"He's not a weapon you can control; he won't let you use him like that."

"Once he's done chewing through Akatsuki he wont have any direction, ill give him that and the excuse. You're more than welcome to keep him in line. I've got a mask with your name on it."

Ino had to stop and think for a minute, quietly she battled in her head whether or not Naruto could be convinced to give up ANBU, "I'm not saying no, but I need to talk to him first."

Ibiki just smirked, "My door is always open…"


	5. Chapter 5

Ok well this hopefully this chapter gets a rise out of you. I hope you don't hate me.

* * *

The stars hung over them as they both stared into the night. It wasn't a full moon but there was just enough light to outline her face. She really did look beautiful, her skin was soft and it seemed pale in the moonlight. Her lips were slightly pursed, letting him know that she was deep in thought. He tried not to let her affect him but she still made him a little nervous just being next to her. It had been a while since he had been with her on good terms and the silence between them was a pleasant one for a change. He didn't want to bring up painful memories and ruin the occasion.

Sakura was lying comfortably next to Naruto, trying not to steal glances of him out of the corner of her eye. By the way he just stared at the night sky she could tell he had a lot of thoughts going through his head, like his mind was somewhere else. Secretly she missed that foxy grin that he always wore and his rants about becoming Hokage. It had been awhile since he had done either.

"Hey Naruto?"

"Yeah Sakura?"

"How come you never talk about becoming Hokage anymore?"

He sighed and spoke with a nonchalant tone, "Hokage was a dream I had. I just wanted to be respected. Being in ANBU gets me that, granted it's behind a mask but its still respect."

"It's not the same Naruto. They respect you because they fear you. They just don't want to disappear."

"Ha, I guess so. I'm strangely ok with that though. I was just so sick of people walking all over me."

Sakura braced herself, "Like I did?"

"Sakura… you didn't walk…" before he could finish she cut him off.

"Yes I did Naruto, stop defending me. I'm sick of you having this blind eye for all the terrible things I've done to you."

Naruto was to taken back to say anything.

"You always forgave me too easily and I would blow up on you for the smallest thing. I gave you such a hard time when we were just genin."

He laughed a little, "That just made me like you even more."

She sighed mentally. He was doing it again, always acting like it was no bid deal. It was time to get serious though, after a long breath Sakura hammered the last nail in her coffin. "Naruto, that night when we came back from the bar… I wanted it to happen. I wasn't lying to you when I said I needed you that night. I just never had the courage before then." She shut her eyes knowing what was coming next.

"And the morning after?"

And there it was, the topic they danced around for months. "I was scared… I was trying to protect myself from getting hurt again. I was being selfish."

He turned and placed his hand over hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I could never hurt you Sakura. I love you to much."

Sakura froze. Her lips weren't doing what her mind told them to do. She was screaming in her head to say _I love you too_ but nothing came out. All that spilled out was a stutter. "N-Naruto…"

"And I want you to be happy, even if it isn't with me." His brow became furrowed at the thought. "I promised I'd get you him back and I don't go back on my word."

"You can't think I feel the same way about Sasuke do you? The Sasuke we knew is gone and I've grown up since then. I was too hung up on the image I had in my head to see the real him."

He paused as if trying to absorb everything she had just said. "Do you still love him?"

Sakura's lips froze for the second time that night. She hadn't really thought about it in so long she wasn't sure. However, this time she managed to find her words. "I loved what I thought was him. He was never the person I loved; I was just too blind to see it." She started choking on the last bit of words.

Naruto lifted himself onto his elbows and looked down at her. Her eyes were watering and tears reflected bits of moonlight at him. "Sakura… don't cry."

She turned over on her side and looked at him with tears streaming down her cheeks. "How do you still love me after all I put you through?"

For the first time in months a foxy grin came to his lips. "I'm as stubborn as they come, remember?"

Holding back a laugh she smiled into his ice blue eyes which met with hers. "Don't you ever change." And with that she grabbed a fistful of his shaggy blonde hair and pulled his face into hers, letting their lips meet passionately.

After talking with Ibiki, Ino started wandering the dark streets of Konoha, alone in her thoughts. ANBU wasn't for someone like Naruto. ANBU Nins had no qualms about death; the people she examined had long given up on things that tied normal people to life. Naruto had too much he cared for to be offering himself up like that.

Scenarios played over and over again in her head. Each time she figured Naruto would be too stubborn for his own good to listen if she alone tried to convince him to retire from it. She was beginning to think Ibiki was right about her having to watch over him. Naruto wouldn't give up on Akatsuki that easily and she was afraid he was going to get himself killed one day because of it.

Without really being aware she came across her answer in the form of Sakura's apartment. She hadn't really been paying any attention to where she was walking and she found herself right on Sakura's doorstep. She didn't carry that much weight with Naruto but Sakura did. He would listen to her as much Ino hated to admit it. Figuring Sakura probably couldn't sleep either she knocked on her door.

It was about the 4th time she knocked when she finally gave up, obviously she wasn't home. Which was odd to say the least. It was around midnight and everything was closed, except for the bars, but she hadn't gone drinking since that day with Naruto. Ino had started to walk away when she heard the door creek open. "I knew you were ho…." Her words were cut short when she had turned to find a katana poking her between the eyes.

Sasuke was limping heavily to one side and seemed to be in bad need of a medic nin. Regardless he still had a very intimidating look about him; his white robe that was tied off with purple rope around his waist was bloody from an obvious wound in his left shoulder. His sharingan was still activated and staring through her soul as she seemed to be too afraid to breathe. His words came in gasps as he struggled to get them out. "Find… Sakura…hurry" As he finished he collapsed to one knee using his sword to stable him.

Fighting the urge to stay with him and see if he was ok she set off with speeds she didn't know she had. Pumping chakra into her legs she made her way to the one place Sakura would go after a hard day.

It wasn't long until she reached Team 7's old training grounds. Finally letting herself breathe she saw her in the middle of the field kneeling in the grass. Ino tanked Kami and frantically sped over to her friend, shouting as she went. "Sakura! Come quick, it's Sasuke!" She wasn't more than a couple feet from her when she finally realized Sakura was straddling Naruto. She had just inadvertently interrupted an intense make out session. Looking from Sakura to Naruto and then back to Sakura Ino seemed to forget her words.

"Ino? What's going on? What about Sasuke?"

Sakura's questions brought her crashing back to reality. "He's on your doorstep. He was bleeding badly when I left him."

Her friends face became one of shock and worry as she scrambled to her feet. Without waiting for either of them she took off, trying to get to her door as fast as possible.

Within minutes Sakura was at his side. Bringing his now limp body into her home, she cleared off the kitchen table and set him down upon it. Immediately she began closing the wound in his shoulder. As her hands meticulously repaired the extensive damage she spoke in short sentences. "He's been stabbed… I don't know how much blood he's lost... his artery was severed." Tensions were high in the room and after what seemed like forever she finally stopped. Exhausted she settled into a chair next to him and rested her forehead against his arm, tears coming down her cheeks.

Naruto looked on helplessly as he watched Sakura collapse next to him. He hadn't seen his old friend for years and now he shows up out of nowhere bleeding to death. He couldn't help but feel a sharp tinge of guilt as jealously shot through him when he saw her clutch his arm, obviously not wanting to let go. Naruto whispered aloud to himself under his breath so no one could hear, "Get up teme."

Ino finally walked up behind Sakura who was now sobbing and hugged her, putting her cheek flush against her back. "I'm sure he'll make it. You're the best after all." Her words seemed empty as if she was trying to convince herself of it more than Sakura.

The tensions in the room finally let up as the body on the table began to show signs of life. "Sa… ku… ra…"


	6. Chapter 6

Oh man. So many people thought that Sakura was gonna turn shallow. To be honest thats the part in any fic that gets me. Wouldn't ever do it! I think most of you mistook sakura not wanting to lose a friend as her loving him. Which was probably my fault, i thought the confession in the field would clear that up but as I said im new at this.

Well here you go, Chapter 6 and all its glory. Kind of slow this chapter but its build up for the next. ENJOY IT OR ELSE.

* * *

It wasn't long after Sasuke spoke that he eventually lost consciousness again. Due to the amount of blood he lost because of his wounds it wasn't surprising. Several hours passes since then and Naruto was the only one awake now, Ino and Sakura had both fallen asleep shortly afterwards. While Ino had opted for one of Sakura's guest rooms Sakura was on the couch with Naruto, her head lying comfortably in his lap. Naruto couldn't sleep, too many thoughts were running through his head. While brushing some of Sakura's hair out of her face he spoke quietly to nobody in particular, "Things were so much simpler when I was hunting Akatsuki."

Only moments ago he was finally fixing things with Sakura and now this. Sasuke always did have a knack for stealing the spotlight. Small groans could be heard as the raven haired boy sat up from his position on the table. Although Sakura patched him up as best she could he was still in obvious discomfort. Taking in his surroundings his gaze finally settled on Naruto who was staring back at him. His eyes traveled down into his lap and fixed upon the sleeping pink haired girl before he spoke, "So, I see things have changed."

"Your eyes are as good as ever teme."

He smirked slightly, enjoying the comeback. "When did all this happen?"

"Not to long ago."

"Hnn…"

There was a long pause as none of them said anything for a while but just took in each others appearances. "Sasuke, what happened to you?"

He broke eye contact and averted his vision from Naruto as he spoke. "It came time for Orochimaru and me to part ways; he didn't take it too lightly."

"Can't imagine why he'd want to keep you around, you're not exactly that easy to get along with."

"Yeah, well it turns out he didn't want another student, he wanted a body. I wasn't done with mine yet so I told him to piss off. He didn't like it to much and he ran his sword straight through me."

"I'm sure you thanked him properly."

"You know me…"

"Looks like Sakura showed up without a second to spare. She said you lost a lot of blood."

He turned back to stare at the sleeping kinouchi. "You're going to have to thank her for me, I didn't want to come but this was a last resort. I'm not staying around to long."

"Better things to do?"

"I need to talk to you regarding that, outside."

Naruto wasn't happy to get up from the couch; easing Sakura's head back he slipped his legs out from under her. Quietly he got up and followed Sasuke out the door. "You really need to work on your timing you know that?"

Sasuke had a questioning look on his face, "Why's that?"

"Never mind. What did you want to tell me?"

"I hear you've been hunting Akatsuki. That true?"

Naruto sighed and held up his right hand which carried the four rings he had collected from them. "Something like that."

"I see." Pausing for breath he added, "I need you to leave Itachi to me, I need to be the one to kill him and avenge my family."

"Still haven't given up on that one have you?"

"I not kidding Naruto, if you fight Itachi then your fight is also with me."

"Fine, but I'm not making any promises if he comes after me again." His voice shook with frustration as he recalled the past couple of years where he defended his life against the duo that was recently cut in half.

"I have my own team tracking him down I just need more time, and your word that you won't go seeking him out."

"Your own team?"

"The ones that brought me here, they're outside of Konoha's walls awaiting my return."

"Ah. I take it your leaving then?"

"Yes, my place isn't in Konoha. It's with them as of now."

"Sasuke, you know we can help you. I can help you kill him."

"No you can't. This is my fight Naruto. The dream of avenging my family keeps me going; it gives me purpose in life. I won't be so weak as to have someone avenge them for me."

As he turned to go Naruto interjected one last time with more anger coming through his voice then he intended. "And when you kill him? What then?"

Sasuke stopped in his tracks and spoke over his shoulder, "Then I shall see you both soon." As he started walking again the shadows slowly climbed over him until he couldn't be seen.

Naruto was left alone outside in the street, wondering how he was going to explain all this to Sakura. He kept his head hung low as he walked back in Sakura's apartment. Letting out a sigh he settled back down on the couch, pulling Sakura close he kissed the back of her neck. She smiled and interlaced her fingers with his as she shifted slightly, still deep in sleep. Finally Naruto started to close his eyes, exhausted from the long day he fell asleep.

Light was barley coming through the windows when screaming woke him. Ino was running through the house wailing at the top of her lungs looking for someone that should still be there. "Sasuke! Sasuke! Where the hell could he have gone?" Naruto groaned and tried to bury his head back into the cushion of the couch, however at that point Sakura had woken up from all the racket. Leaping up from the couch she confronted Ino, "What do you mean he's gone, who was watching him last night?!"

Ino looked shocked and retorted back with a self righteous tone in her voice "I thought you two were!"

"I nearly gave myself chakra exhaustion last night, how the hell would I stay up?!"

At this point Naruto realized he wasn't going back to sleep anytime soon. "I hate mornings…." As soon as he opened his mouth he wished he hadn't as the two women marched straight for him.

Together in unison they both shouted, "Where the hell is he?!" with accusing tones.

He instinctively brought his hands in front of his face to shield himself. "He woke up in the middle of the night. He didn't want to wait around for goodbyes."

Both of them seemed to be in shock. Ino let out a huff as she collapsed onto the chair across from Sakura's couch. "Well that's Sasuke for you, doesn't even stick around for a "thanks for saving my life." What a prick, nearly killed me telling me to get Sakura too." Ino trailed off at the end of her sentence and the rest became inaudible mumbles under her breath about him.

Sakura, still standing in the same spot, seemed in a daze as she spoke, "Did he say anything before he left?"

"Yeah, he did."

Both of the women in the room perked up as if to listen closer. "He threatened me to stay away from Itachi, said it needed to be him that killed his brother."

"Oh…"

"He also told me to tell you "Thanks.""

Sakura just sighed and pushed Naruto's legs out of the way so she could sit next to him comfortably. "I'm kind of surprised you didn't go after him."

"Heh, He was in rough enough shape as is. Didn't think starting another fight was going to be all that great for him."

Sakura forced a grin as she turned to face him on the couch, her head resting on the back of the cushion. She reached over and pulled his hand over to her as she spoke "I'm glad you didn't." Naruto couldn't help but smile back as he heard the caring in her voice. For a while the room stayed silent as they just smiled at one another.

Ino purposely coughed aloud interjecting on their little moment, sounding slightly annoyed. "Mind filling me in on what's going on?

They both turned away from each other and laughed nervously. Naruto just started scratching the back of his head trying to think of the best way to tell her. Sakura was the first one to speak though, "You could say we talked things out."

"You mean what I walked in on at the training grounds? I wouldn't necessarily call that talking" An awkward silence then filled the room.

Naruto, taking the chance at the break in the conversation to excuse himself, had one of those foxy grins plastered on his face as he stood up. "Well I don't know about you two but I gota go meet Ibiki; he should be expecting me by now." Although he didn't mean to he had just killed the mood in the room. Sakura and Ino both had looks of grimace as they stared back at him.

Sakura's voice seemed to drag as she spoke "You just got back in town. Don't tell me you're leaving on another mission already."

"Whoa whoa whoa, no ones leaving on any missions. I just gota check back in. I'll be back in a couple of hours, Promise." Forcing a smile to show it was no big deal he winked at her as he walked out the door.

As the door shut Naruto's presence was already missed, both the girls just sat in silence for awhile. Ino was the first to talk as the reason she showed up at Sakura's doorstep last night shot through her memory. "Sakura I need your help with something."

Tearing her eyes away from the door she turned to her friend. "Hmm?"

"I want to convince Naruto to quit ANBU. I doubt he would listen to me, but coming from you I know he would take it to heart."

"Oh... I don't know if he'll even listen to me about that."

Ino laughed a little before continuing. "Sakura, you could tell him to jump off a cliff for you and he wouldn't even check to see how tall it was first."

"You didn't hear him talk about ANBU last night though, I did. He talks like he's finally found his place and he does it with this sense of pride in voice I haven't heard since he wanted to become Hokage."

"He will eventually get himself killed, you know that right? Even if he doesn't he'll wind up as some emotionless killer if he stays in there to long. I see it every time I do a psych evaluation on one of the veterans they have"

Sakura switched into a defensive tone. "Naruto isn't a killer! All he's doing is defending himself from the people that want him dead."

"Your right, he isn't now, but what happens after he goes through all of Akatsuki? What then? Ibiki isn't going to send him on recon missions Sakura. Ibiki will just use him as a weapon to kill anyone he wants dead. He said so himself, he told me Naruto was the best he's got."

Sakura couldn't do anything but bite her lip and stare at the floor.

"I need your help Sakura. This won't work without you."

Naruto smiled casually as he walked past Ibiki's ANBU guard outside his door and into his messy office. "This place needs a woman's touch in the worst way. Shizune would have a break down if she saw the way you treated all these documents."

Ibiki smirked at his lack of respect for his superiors. "Well lucky for me she isn't my secretary. Sit down Naruto."

Naruto picked up a file that was in the chair nearest the desk and tossed it aside. "Figured you wanted to see me."

"How astute of you, I'm still waiting on the report of your latest kill by the way."

Naruto sighed, he hated this part. "Fine, I received intel from the Wave reporting two suspicious members in Akatsuki attire in the area. I found them a short while later crossing the Uzamaki Bridge." He smiled slightly as he said the name. "Kisame was with his partner Itachi, who chose not to interfere as we fought."

"Oh? Whys that?"

"Kisame seemed adamant about fighting me alone. We were pretty evenly matched the whole time and I had to assume the Fox's Cloak to gain the upper hand."

"I trust you didn't go overboard with it."

"No I kept it in check, only 2 tails. The fight didn't last much longer as he was slowing down at that point." He stopped talking as the image of Kisame's face twisted in pain came into his mind. He hated to admit it but he enjoyed the fight, it was almost as if a part of him wanted the kill. Shoving his new jutsu through the shark's stomach seemed to calm hidden urges that he wasn't sure he had.

"And what of Itachi?"

"I tried to engage him after collecting Kismae's ring but he kept me in a genjutsu and fled the scene. He told me that he would see me "soon enough" and that it was with him that "I would fail.""

"Right, well I assume you are heading back out to finish off the other half of the duo then?"

Naruto hesitated, taking a minute to reflect back on Sasuke's threat. He was thinking of how to explain to Ibiki that he was just going to ignore Konoha's biggest S-class criminal so his nuke nin friend could kill him instead when the door was flung open. It was perfect timing as two ANBU rushed into the office interrupting the current conversation. "Sir, two Akatsuki were just seen heading through the south gates. The posted guards were all killed."

Ibiki scowled. "What the hell happened to the patrols we had watching the walls?"

The two stiffened as they answered. "They were found minutes ago. The bodies showed that they were probably killed sometime last night. We don't think it was Akatsuki, the kills weren't clean and they suffered intentionally."

Naruto cursed under his breath as he remembered Sasuke's team was out there that night. It had to be them.

"Naruto, take these two and cut off the Akatsuki. Don't let them too far into the city. We'll send teams to search for the ones responsible for the patrol immediately."

As the two ANBU turned to Naruto for directions he waved them off. "I'm not taking them." He started walking out of the office before he called over his shoulder. "They'll just slow me down."

Ibiki gave one of his smirks as he motioned for the two ANBU who seemed like they wanted to chase him down to settle. "Relax; he probably just saved your lives. Just follow him and watch, don't engage anyone." This kid was something else.


End file.
